Demonland

THE VISIT by Ice Station When a team visits Casey Fields, it has to be prepared for an inhospitable reception from the elements. Sometimes it's a howling, swirly breeze. Sometimes it's the rain that makes conditions tough and slippery. Add that to a team that happens to be at the top of its form and the visiting team knows it's in for a long, hard day. The Northern Blues should have seen it coming during the curtain raiser when their development league team was held to just three goals by an enthusiastic bunch of Casey Scorpions youngsters but they would hardly have expected to be held to an even lower score. And the game was virtually over in virtually minutes with the home side dominating the stoppages in the greasy conditions. Ben Newton, the man who was to be the hero of the day, whipped the ball out of the middle, passed it to Max King who converted in the opening minute. Further goals followed at regular intervals with the hapless Blues putting up little resistance as other heroes of the day emerged. Jack Grimes showed great grit and leadership. Jaxon Briggs, the Casey 23rd man, a mere slip of a lad at 176cm is a local kid who has pace and a strong engine. He announced himself with two goals in the opening term on his way to a total for the day that doubled that of the opposition. Sam Weideman, another young gun with a familiar name to football goers, juggled a mark and kicked truly on his way to a four goal tally. The lead at quarter time was 32 points and the carnage continued to the long break with the visitors still goalless with Newton continuing to dominate and Weideman booting another couple. Things didn't change much in the third quarter although Casey's scoring rate slowed down and the Blues ended their run of 12 consecutive goals in the shadows of three quarter time. It was a magnificent defensive performance by the Scorpions who were well led by the miserly Jack Hutchins and Lynden Dunn. Casey did not rest on their laurels in the end - they piled on another seven goals with Newton and Alex Neal-Bullen dominating the clearances. Briggs and Weideman added to their goal tallies and Chris Dawes in his return match after a long injury lay off got into the act and kicked a couple. The visitors' mystery ended with the siren sounding and the scoreboard showing an inhospitable result for the Northern Blues - a 107 point defeat. Casey Scorpions 5.3.33 9.6.60 12.9.81 19.11.125 Northern Blues 0.1.1 0.3.3 1.6.12 2.6.18 Goals Casey Scorpions Briggs Weideman 4 Dawes Grimes Newton 2 Max King Morris Spencer Terlich Trengove Northern Blues Totevski Kerbatieh Best Casey Scorpions Newton Neal-Bullen Grimes T Smith Dunn Briggs Northern Blues Graham Dick Korcheck Buckley Tutt Boekhorst In the curtain raiser AFL Development League match, the Scorpions reversed the result of their meeting with the Blues from earlier in the year with a 92 point win. Youngster Aaron Cotte was in everything and booted four goals Casey Scorpions 5.3.33 10.7.67 15.12.102 17.14.116 Northern Blues 0.0.0 1.2.8 1.3.9 3.6.24 Goals Casey Scorpions Cotte 4 Ambler Ferreira Daniel Johnston 2 Baker Gordon Hannon Jaffer-Williams Damian Johnston Machaya Moncrieff Northern Blues Peet 2 Hickey Best Casey Scorpions Cotte Moncrieff McInerney Lovett Wyatt Ferreira Northern Blues Stevens Declase McCabe Droessler Bolger Jordan Statistics Chris Dawes 2 goals 10 disposals 6 kicks 4 handballs 2 marks 1 tackles 49 dream team points Lynden Dunn 1 behind disposals 23 kicks 3 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 105 dream team points Sam Frost 12 disposals 7 kicks 5 handballs 1 marks 2 tackles 37 dream team points Jack Grimes 2 goals 1 behind 26 disposals 13 kicks 13 handballs 2 marks 10 tackles 127 dream team points Max King 1 goals 14 disposals 9 kicks 5 handballs 3 marks 1 tackles 5 hit outs 58 dream team points Oscar McDonald 13 disposals 4 kicks 9 handballs 1 marks 35 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 31 disposals 15 kicks 16 handballs 13 tackles 129 dream team points Ben Newton 2 goals disposals 19 kicks 18 handballs 4 marks 9 tackles 1 hit out 156 dream team points Joel Smith 9 disposals 4 kicks 5 handballs 2 tackles 30 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 goal 1 behind 11 disposals 3 kicks 8 handballs 1 mark 8 tackles 51 hit outs dream team points Dean Terlich 1 goal disposals 12 kicks 7 handballs marks tackles 83 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 goal 1 behind disposals 12 kicks 18 handballs 10 tackles 1 hit out 118 dream team points Sam Weideman 4 goals 8 disposals 7 kicks 1 handball 4 marks 2 tackles 59 dream team points Mitch White 22 disposals 11 kicks 11 handballs 3 marks 2 tackles 72 dream team points

NO MACCAS FOR YOU by George on the Outer As you make your way to Metricon Stadium in Carrara, you can be forgiven for wondering, “what have we gotten ourselves into here?” There isn’t an AFL venue in the country that requires you to take a bus to get there (solely), while enjoying the scenery of cows grazing in the paddocks surrounding it. The upside was the Demons absolutely produced a type of football on Saturday evening that hadn’t been seen by their fans for over 10 years ... and with a result to match. It wasn’t all that pretty in the first quarter with a four goal to one deficit at one stage. Things were beginning to look very similar to the way the St.Kilda game was played out a week earlier. Gaping holes in defence and opposition forwards having free reign to go and do as they pleased and this, despite an overwhelming dominance on the statistics. The Demons were simply unable to produce anything to reflect that on the scoreboard. The second quarter was somewhat similar; the way in which goals were constructed was nothing too convincing. Against more serious opposition, we would have been opened up like a can of sardines, but even at that stage we were starting to see that Gold Coast was not all that good and the demoralising defeat against Geelong was obviously lurking at the back of the player’s minds. Then their worst of their nightmares came to fruition. Firstly, in the form of Max Gawn, who simply took the game and the result by the scruff of the neck. He completely took over in the ruck contests and Currie didn’t know what hit him. Max then continued the same way around the ground and found himself kicking clutch goals, roving to his own hit-outs and bullocking his way and the team toward victory. And when he lifted, then so did others. Nathan Jones played probably his best game for the year, and was back to the form and toughness around the ball that he is known for. But in this game he had two bulldozers behind him in the form of Jack Viney and Clayton Oliver. We all know what Viney is like, but this was also a game where Oliver stamped his authority around the ball. At one point he crunched two Gold Coast players in heavy tackles in quick succession. The second on Sexton unfortunately saw him off the ground with a forearm injury but it didn’t stop Oliver who simply kept going at the ball until he won it. The Demon fans who were there (and there were plenty of them - I estimate that nearly 50% of the crowd were Demons supporters) witnessed Oliver's A grade vision and ability to find the free man in tight situations. As well as this trio of D9 tractors progressively working over the opposition, Dom Tyson came out with his best game of the year as well and provided that extra bit of class around the ball. Nine goals in the 3rd quarter followed by another seven in the final term came from 25 shots on goal in a half of football. It had the supporters and the statisticians looking through the record books, but sadly it was on the back of a flimsy, flaky Gold Coast Suns side. While Lynch, Presia and Saad provided some highlights, there was little substance throughout the rest of the side. Gary Ablett Junior is a mere shadow of his best, as he was caught time and time again by the younger players, and pounded by Viney whenever he came into the middle. When you find him playing a majority of the game off Half-back, it is a good indication he is not fully fit or capable anymore. We continued to see the emergence of Jayden Hunt and Josh Wagner. Sure they make mistakes as young players, but they also have that enthusiasm and fire of youth behind them. To reintroduce some of the more “experienced” players back into the side is going to be difficult, because they are more than fulfilling their role and have a much brighter upside. Hunt in particular, when he lights up the afterburners is exciting to watch, and forwards eyes glint when he is free and in the open. Unfortunately, the forwards took little advantage of the massacre taking place up the field. Jesse Hogan with a solitary goal was down from last week's efforts, although he was double-teamed for the whole night. Jack Watts is rapidly facing another cross-road as he has “reverted to type” in the past three weeks. We are seeing the lack of effort when needed and it is easy to cover up in a 12 goal winning side. It won’t be in a closer contest. Viv Michie likewise was exposed by the difference between AFL level and that he has seen at Casey. With only 5 kicks and a total of 13 touches with some diabolical errors, in a dominant side doesn’t bode well for his future, especially when logical replacements like Jack Trengove, Alex Neal-Bullen and other continue to press their case week after week. Finally, while the Demon fans went home (on the bus) singing the club song, the Gold Coast fans went home early and unhappy. Not that they care one iota about the result because the football game is only secondary to them. No, it’s all about turning up to watch bands playing before and after the game….eating fairy floss….drinking copious volumes of Bundaberg … playing schoolyard games of kick the footy … and drinking copious volumes of Bundaberg ... But worst of all was they didn’t get their free Big Mac! Yes, that’s what all Gold Coast fans can look forward to, if their team wins a game. So, no Macca’s for them, and the way they are playing there might be plenty of starving Suns' fans in the coming season. Oh well, there is always plenty of Bundy! POSTSCRIPT If the AFL think that this Gold Coast experiment is going to work they are sadly mistaken. Anyone who lives on the Coast needs a car to get to the game, because there is really no public transport. Metricon Stadium is miles out the back of civilization and there is no viable car parking at the ground! So you go by bus. The AFL are dreaming if they think families are going to drive to a bus stop miles from the stadium and then do the same on the way home. This was a home game for them and there were just as many Demon fans at the game. And only 12,780 made it through the gate on a perfect Queensland night. Their round 20 home game against GWS will set new records for lowest attendance without a doubt. Melbourne 2.3.15 8.7.55 17.11.113 24.16.160 Gold Coast Suns 4.2.26 8.2.50. 11.3.69 14.3.87 Goals Melbourne Garlett Harmes Pedersen 3 Gawn Jones Kennedy Petracca Viney 2 Hogan Kent Stretch Tyson Vince Gold Coast Suns Lynch 4 Ablett Garlett Wright 2 Currie Grant Hall MacPherson Best Melbourne Gawn Viney Jones Harmes Vince Oliver Bugg Gold Coast Suns Lynch Day Saad Miller Harbrow Changes Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Rosa (hamstring), Sexton (forearm) Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Umpires Harris, Stephens, Schmitt Official crowd 12,780 at Metricon Stadium

As you make your way to Metricon Stadium in Carrara, you can be forgiven for wondering, “what have we gotten ourselves into here?” There isn’t an AFL venue in the country that requires you to take a bus to get there (solely), while enjoying the scenery of cows grazing in the paddocks surrounding it. The upside was the Demons absolutely produced a type of football on Saturday evening that hadn’t been seen by their fans for over 10 years ... and with a result to match. It wasn’t all that pretty in the first quarter with a four goal to one deficit at one stage. Things were beginning to look very similar to the way the St.Kilda game was played out a week earlier. Gaping holes in defence and opposition forwards having free reign to go and do as they pleased and this, despite an overwhelming dominance on the statistics. The Demons were simply unable to produce anything to reflect that on the scoreboard. The second quarter was somewhat similar; the way in which goals were constructed was nothing too convincing. Against more serious opposition, we would have been opened up like a can of sardines, but even at that stage we were starting to see that Gold Coast was not all that good and the demoralising defeat against Geelong was obviously lurking at the back of the player’s minds. Then their worst of their nightmares came to fruition. Firstly, in the form of Max Gawn, who simply took the game and the result by the scruff of the neck. He completely took over in the ruck contests and Currie didn’t know what hit him. Max then continued the same way around the ground and found himself kicking clutch goals, roving to his own hit-outs and bullocking his way and the team toward victory. And when he lifted, then so did others. Nathan Jones played probably his best game for the year, and was back to the form and toughness around the ball that he is known for. But in this game he had two bulldozers behind him in the form of Jack Viney and Clayton Oliver. We all know what Viney is like, but this was also a game where Oliver stamped his authority around the ball. At one point he crunched two Gold Coast players in heavy tackles in quick succession. The second on Sexton unfortunately saw him off the ground with a forearm injury but it didn’t stop Oliver who simply kept going at the ball until he won it. The Demon fans who were there (and there were plenty of them - I estimate that nearly 50% of the crowd were Demons supporters) witnessed Oliver's A grade vision and ability to find the free man in tight situations. As well as this trio of D9 tractors progressively working over the opposition, Dom Tyson came out with his best game of the year as well and provided that extra bit of class around the ball. Nine goals in the 3rd quarter followed by another seven in the final term came from 25 shots on goal in a half of football. It had the supporters and the statisticians looking through the record books, but sadly it was on the back of a flimsy, flaky Gold Coast Suns side. While Lynch, Presia and Saad provided some highlights, there was little substance throughout the rest of the side. Gary Ablett Junior is a mere shadow of his best, as he was caught time and time again by the younger players, and pounded by Viney whenever he came into the middle. When you find him playing a majority of the game off Half-back, it is a good indication he is not fully fit or capable anymore. We continued to see the emergence of Jayden Hunt and Josh Wagner. Sure they make mistakes as young players, but they also have that enthusiasm and fire of youth behind them. To reintroduce some of the more “experienced” players back into the side is going to be difficult, because they are more than fulfilling their role and have a much brighter upside. Hunt in particular, when he lights up the afterburners is exciting to watch, and forwards eyes glint when he is free and in the open. Unfortunately, the forwards took little advantage of the massacre taking place up the field. Jesse Hogan with a solitary goal was down from last week's efforts, although he was double-teamed for the whole night. Jack Watts is rapidly facing another cross-road as he has “reverted to type” in the past three weeks. We are seeing the lack of effort when needed and it is easy to cover up in a 12 goal winning side. It won’t be in a closer contest. Viv Michie likewise was exposed by the difference between AFL level and that he has seen at Casey. With only 5 kicks and a total of 13 touches with some diabolical errors, in a dominant side doesn’t bode well for his future, especially when logical replacements like Jack Trengove, Alex Neal-Bullen and other continue to press their case week after week. Finally, while the Demon fans went home (on the bus) singing the club song, the Gold Coast fans went home early and unhappy. Not that they care one iota about the result because the football game is only secondary to them. No, it’s all about turning up to watch bands playing before and after the game….eating fairy floss….drinking copious volumes of Bundaberg … playing schoolyard games of kick the footy … and drinking copious volumes of Bundaberg ... But worst of all was they didn’t get their free Big Mac! Yes, that’s what all Gold Coast fans can look forward to, if their team wins a game. So, no Macca’s for them, and the way they are playing there might be plenty of starving Suns' fans in the coming season. Oh well, there is always plenty of Bundy! POSTSCRIPT If the AFL think that this Gold Coast experiment is going to work they are sadly mistaken. Anyone who lives on the Coast needs a car to get to the game, because there is really no public transport. Metricon Stadium is miles out the back of civilization and there is no viable car parking at the ground! So you go by bus. The AFL are dreaming if they think families are going to drive to a bus stop miles from the stadium and then do the same on the way home. This was a home game for them and there were just as many Demon fans at the game. And only 12,780 made it through the gate on a perfect Queensland night. Their round 20 home game against GWS will set new records for lowest attendance without a doubt. Melbourne 2.3.15 8.7.55 17.11.113 24.16.160 Gold Coast Suns 4.2.26 8.2.50. 11.3.69 14.3.87 Goals Melbourne Garlett Harmes Pedersen 3 Gawn Jones Kennedy Petracca Viney 2 Hogan Kent Stretch Tyson Vince Gold Coast Suns Lynch 4 Ablett Garlett Wright 2 Currie Grant Hall MacPherson Best Melbourne Gawn Viney Jones Harmes Vince Oliver Bugg Gold Coast Suns Lynch Day Saad Miller Harbrow Changes Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Rosa (hamstring), Sexton (forearm) Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Umpires Harris, Stephens, Schmitt Official crowd 12,780 at Metricon Stadium

He might have been concussed yesterday but Jack went on his merry way against the Suns - 92 Jack Viney 56 Max Gawn 44 Nathan Jones 36 Bernie Vince Jack Watts 34 Ben Kennedy 23 Dom Tyson 19 Jesse Hogan 15 Jeff Garlett Tom McDonald 14 Neville Jetta 11 Clayton Oliver Josh Wagner 10 Heritier Lumumba 9 Cam Pedersen 7 Tom Bugg 4 James Harmes Dean Kent 3 Matt Jones 2 Jayden Hunt

Yeah. This thread is done.

Won't happen. I'll lock it down if anyone tries.

Our man George on the Outer is on the outer at Carrara (or possibly the bar by now) ... can't wait for his match report ...

Cast your votes please 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

Not just you. It is very silly and not very intuitive. I'm glad that solved your problem.

On Mobile click the icon with the 3 lines in the top right corner. Click Account Click Account Settings Then click Settings Area and then Email Address and then edit it and save.

Two teams that have promised a great deal early on in this season but badly disappointed their fans in their last starts clash this week at Metricon Stadium in a game that is a true example of the tipster's nightmare. The Demons were riding high after their Anzac Eve triumph at the MCG over the Tigers but six days later crashed against the Saints at Etihad. There was no comparison between performances as the Jekyll and Hyde-like Demons played like pedestrians against a more mobile opposition with nobody prepared to take on the aging Nick Riewoldt while St Kilda's inclusions Tim Membrey and Blake Acres played the games of their lives to help their team overcome a deficit of 17 points to what was at one stage more than a 10 goal turnaround. The Suns opened the season promisingly enough with three good wins but then one needs to consider the quality of their opposition in those games - Essendon, Fremantle and Carlton. After that, they failed to Brisbane and fell away completely when confronted by stronger teams in North Melbourne and Geelong against who they were insipid last week at Simonds Stadium. And so the two of them come together this week at Metricon where they have strangely enough, rarely been pitted against one another. I suspect that home ground advantage will bring the Suns out of their current stupor and they will operate more effectively than the outfit that stood like witches hats as the Cats played and danced brilliantly around them. But where Melbourne is concerned, I simply have no idea what team will turn up. One can't even hang one's hat on the fact that the Suns' 20 goal loss puts them in a position whereby they can hardly be expected to recover in the space of one week to win their next game. We saw how that worked last year when Essendon, coming of a 100 point plus loss against St Kilda upset none other than Melbourne on the MCG. There are light years of difference between the Melbourne that capitulated against Essendon in that game and again in Round 2 this year and allowed St Kilda to drive Demon fans to exasperation last week. Yes, it's true that they are a young team and the one it fielded against the Saints was close to if not the most inexperienced in the competition but that applied equally in the three weeks prior and it didn't seem to matter then. Whilst it's true that inexperienced sides are the least consistent there were other factors to consider as a result of last week's demise. There was little consideration given to the effect of the six day break and the team certainly lacked the freshness of its opponents. The handling of the introduction of Christian Petracca into the side as the lone inclusion leaving too much focus on the youngster has also been criticized in similar terms to the way the ill fated debut of Jack Watts was handled in 2010. Then there was the coaching and the failure to cover the dominance of the Saints in the second term which led to a torrent of goals against in the third and the team's ultimate capitulation. On that subject, I trust that more care will be given to doing something about Suns' veteran Gary Ablett's capacity to dominate a game of football than was done last week with Riewoldt. Melbourne's prospects of winning this week will depend greatly on what it's brains trust does to produce a performance more akin to the ones we see after the Essendon debacle. Otherwise, the fans will face more nightmares. THE GAME Gold Coast Suns v Melbourne at Metricon Stadium Saturday 7 May, 2016 at 5.10 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Gold Coast Suns 3 wins Melbourne 4 wins At Metricon - Stadium Melbourne 0 wins Gold Coast Suns 1 win Past five matches - Gold Coast Suns 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches - Eade 0 wins Roos 1 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 - 5.00pm (live) RADIO – SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Gold Coast Suns to win - $1.92 Melbourne to win - $1.92 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 17.13.115 defeated Gold Coast Suns 13.11.95 at the MCG, Round 1, 2015 Jack Viney took on Gary Ablett and did enough to limit his effectiveness to allow for the Demons to come home with the goods and with their first opening round match in ages. THE TEAMS GOLD COAST B: Adam Saad Henry Schade Sean Lemmens HB: Jarrod Harbrow Sam Day Nick Malceski C: Kade Kolodjashnij Gary Ablett Matt Rosa HF: Jarrod Garlett Tom Lynch Jack Martin F: Alex Sexton Peter Wright Clay Cameron FOLL: Daniel Currie Jesse Lonergan Dion Prestia I/C Jarrad Grant Aaron Hall Touk Miller Darcy Macpherson EMG: Brandon Matera Matt Shaw Mackenzie Willis IN: Jarrod Garlett Darcy Macpherson Adam Saad OUT: Ryan Davis (omitted) Trent McKenzie (ankle) Mackenzie Willis (omitted) NEW: Jarrod Garlett MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg HB: Josh Wagner, Colin Garland, Jayden Hunt C: Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, James Harmes HF: Jack Watts, Cameron Pedersen, Jeff Garlett F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Christian Petracca FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Clayton Oliver, Billy Stretch, Viv Michie, Ben Kennedy EMG: Oscar McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jack Grimes IN: Colin Garland, Viv Michie, Clayton Oliver, Billy Stretch Out: Lynden Dunn, Sam Frost, Heritier Lumumba (concussion), Christian Salem (concussion)

NIGHTMARE by The Oracle Two teams that have promised a great deal early on in this season but badly disappointed their fans in their last starts clash this week at Metricon Stadium in a game that is a true example of the tipster's nightmare. The Demons were riding high after their Anzac Eve triumph at the MCG over the Tigers but six days later crashed against the Saints at Etihad. There was no comparison between performances as the Jekyll and Hyde-like Demons played like pedestrians against a more mobile opposition with nobody prepared to take on the aging Nick Riewoldt while St Kilda's inclusions Tim Membrey and Blake Acres played the games of their lives to help their team overcome a deficit of 17 points to what was at one stage more than a 10 goal turnaround. The Suns opened the season promisingly enough with three good wins but then one needs to consider the quality of their opposition in those games - Essendon, Fremantle and Carlton. After that, they failed to Brisbane and fell away completely when confronted by stronger teams in North Melbourne and Geelong against who they were insipid last week at Simonds Stadium. And so the two of them come together this week at Metricon where they have strangely enough, rarely been pitted against one another. I suspect that home ground advantage will bring the Suns out of their current stupor and they will operate more effectively than the outfit that stood like witches hats as the Cats played and danced brilliantly around them. But where Melbourne is concerned, I simply have no idea what team will turn up. One can't even hang one's hat on the fact that the Suns' 20 goal loss puts them in a position whereby they can hardly be expected to recover in the space of one week to win their next game. We saw how that worked last year when Essendon, coming of a 100 point plus loss against St Kilda upset none other than Melbourne on the MCG. There are light years of difference between the Melbourne that capitulated against Essendon in that game and again in Round 2 this year and allowed St Kilda to drive Demon fans to exasperation last week. Yes, it's true that they are a young team and the one it fielded against the Saints was close to if not the most inexperienced in the competition but that applied equally in the three weeks prior and it didn't seem to matter then. Whilst it's true that inexperienced sides are the least consistent there were other factors to consider as a result of last week's demise. There was little consideration given to the effect of the six day break and the team certainly lacked the freshness of its opponents. The handling of the introduction of Christian Petracca into the side as the lone inclusion leaving too much focus on the youngster has also been criticized in similar terms to the way the ill fated debut of Jack Watts was handled in 2010. Then there was the coaching and the failure to cover the dominance of the Saints in the second term which led to a torrent of goals against in the third and the team's ultimate capitulation. On that subject, I trust that more care will be given to doing something about Suns' veteran Gary Ablett's capacity to dominate a game of football than was done last week with Riewoldt. Melbourne's prospects of winning this week will depend greatly on what it's brains trust does to produce a performance more akin to the ones we see after the Essendon debacle. Otherwise, the fans will face more nightmares. THE GAME Gold Coast Suns v Melbourne at Metricon Stadium Saturday 7 May, 2016 at 5.10 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Gold Coast Suns 3 wins Melbourne 4 wins At Metricon - Stadium Melbourne 0 wins Gold Coast Suns 1 win Past five matches - Gold Coast Suns 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches - Eade 0 wins Roos 1 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 - 5.00pm (live) RADIO – SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Gold Coast Suns to win - $1.92 Melbourne to win - $1.92 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 17.13.115 defeated Gold Coast Suns 13.11.95 at the MCG, Round 1, 2015 Jack Viney took on Gary Ablett and did enough to limit his effectiveness to allow for the Demons to come home with the goods and with their first opening round match in ages. THE TEAMS GOLD COAST B: Adam Saad Henry Schade Sean Lemmens HB: Jarrod Harbrow Sam Day Nick Malceski C: Kade Kolodjashnij Gary Ablett Matt Rosa HF: Jarrod Garlett Tom Lynch Jack Martin F: Alex Sexton Peter Wright Clay Cameron FOLL: Daniel Currie Jesse Lonergan Dion Prestia I/C Jarrad Grant Aaron Hall Touk Miller Darcy Macpherson EMG: Brandon Matera Matt Shaw Mackenzie Willis IN: Jarrod Garlett Darcy Macpherson Adam Saad OUT: Ryan Davis (omitted) Trent McKenzie (ankle) Mackenzie Willis (omitted) NEW: Jarrod Garlett MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg HB: Josh Wagner, Colin Garland, Jayden Hunt C: Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, James Harmes HF: Jack Watts, Cameron Pedersen, Jeff Garlett F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Christian Petracca FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Clayton Oliver, Billy Stretch, Viv Michie, Ben Kennedy EMG: Oscar McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jack Grimes IN: Colin Garland, Viv Michie, Clayton Oliver, Billy Stretch Out: Lynden Dunn, Sam Frost, Heritier Lumumba (concussion), Christian Salem (concussion)

The Casey Scorpions avenged their loss in last year's VFL Elimination Final and took second place on the competition ladder following a solid 17 point victory against Essendon VFL in blustery conditions at Windy Hill on Sunday. The Scorpions were given a boost when they won the toss and kicked with the advantage of a strong wind and, but for some wayward kicking for goal, could have had the game wrapped up much earlier. They led 4.8.32 to 2.0.12 at quarter time with a winning midfield despite the early loss of Angus Brayshaw who suffered a heavy knock to the head. The Bombers regrouped when their turn to kick with the advantage of the wind but they were held back for a significant part of the second term until a late surge saw them back in the game with a deficit of only four points at the main break. The Scorpions were held scoreless for the term. Casey's midfield led by Jack Trengove whose ability was acknowledged by a heavy tag throughout the afternoon, rookie Viv Michie and youngster Clayton Oliver and the brilliant Billy Stretch who proved a handful with his pace and skills. As a result, the Scorpions were able to draw away from the Bombers in the vital third term with five goals to a solitary major for the home side to set up a 30 point lead at the final break. The Scorpion defence successfully closed the Bombers down for most of the final term forcing them wide and keeping them down to just two goals with Ben Newton's goal after a 50 metre penalty in mid quarter virtually sealing the game. The standouts for the visitors were Oliver with 29 disposals and 16 tackles (who belied the decision to keep him out of the Melbourne line up after being managed by resting last week), Trengove with 28 touches and the prolific Michie (33 possessions) while Colin Garland, Mitch White and Oscar McDonald put their hands up to shore up the Demons' defence. Liam Hulett continued to show promise as a potential forward line partner for Jesse Hogan. Of the Casey listed players James Munro ran hard and collected 22 touches and Kody Wilson, though quiet for most of the afternoon, sparked the side with two vital third quarter goals. The team returns to Casey Fields for its first daytime home fixture next Sunday against the Northern Blues. Casey Scorpions 4.8.32 4.8.32 9.11.65 10.11.71 Essendon VFL 2.0.12 4.4.28 5.5.35 7.12.54 Goals Casey Scorpions Newton K Wilson 2 Garland Hulett Max King Michie Neal-Bullen Spencer Essendon VFL J Langford 2 Kommer McKernan McNiece J Merrett Thompson Best Casey Scorpions Michie Trengove Hulett Garland Spencer T Smith Essendon VFL Grima Coghlan Jamar Ambrose McNiece Redman Statistics Angus Brayshaw 3 disposals 1 kicks 2 handballs 2 tackles 15 dream team points [injured] Colin Garland 1 goal 18 disposals 14 kicks 4 handballs 4 marks 4 tackles 81 dream team points Jack Grimes 23 disposals 11 kicks 12 handballs 5 tackles 74 dream team points Liam Hulett 1 goal 1 behind 15 disposals 13 kicks 2 handballs 7 marks 71 dream team points Max King 1 goal 2 behinds 13 disposals 6 kicks 7 handballs 3 marks 3 tackles 8 hit outs 63 dream team points Oscar McDonald 1 behind disposals 10 kicks 9 handballs 6 marks 1 tackles 71 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal 1 behind 33 disposals 19 kicks 14 handballs 4 marks 99 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 1 goal 1 behind 19 disposals 7 kicks 12 handballs 3 marks 5 tackles 1 hit out 73 dream team points Ben Newton 2 goals 3 behinds 21 disposals 10 kicks 11 handballs 3 marks 7 tackles 105 dream team points Clayton Oliver 29 disposals 8 kicks 21 handballs 3 marks 16 tackles 1 hit out 131 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 goal 11 disposals 4 kicks 7 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 22 hit outs 75 dream team points Billy Stretch 1 behind disposals kicks handballs marks tackles 93 dream team points Dean Terlich 19 disposals 12 kicks 7 handballs 4 marks 1 tackle 66 dream team points Jack Trengove 28 disposals 8 kicks 20 handballs 3 marks 9 tackles 108 dream team points Mitch White 22 disposals 11 kicks 11 handballs 3 marks 7 tackles 92 dream team points Matt Jones did not play The Casey Development League team had a bye.

THE CASEY AVENGERS by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions avenged their loss in last year's VFL Elimination Final and took second place on the competition ladder following a solid 17 point victory against Essendon VFL in blustery conditions at Windy Hill on Sunday. The Scorpions were given a boost when they won the toss and kicked with the advantage of a strong wind and, but for some wayward kicking for goal, could have had the game wrapped up much earlier. They led 4.8.32 to 2.0.12 at quarter time with a winning midfield despite the early loss of Angus Brayshaw who suffered a heavy knock to the head. The Bombers regrouped when their turn to kick with the advantage of the wind but they were held back for a significant part of the second term until a late surge saw them back in the game with a deficit of only four points at the main break. The Scorpions were held scoreless for the term. Casey's midfield led by Jack Trengove whose ability was acknowledged by a heavy tag throughout the afternoon, rookie Viv Michie and youngster Clayton Oliver and the brilliant Billy Stretch who proved a handful with his pace and skills. As a result, the Scorpions were able to draw away from the Bombers in the vital third term with five goals to a solitary major for the home side to set up a 30 point lead at the final break. The Scorpion defence successfully closed the Bombers down for most of the final term forcing them wide and keeping them down to just two goals with Ben Newton's goal after a 50 metre penalty in mid quarter virtually sealing the game. The standouts for the visitors were Oliver with 29 disposals and 16 tackles (who belied the decision to keep him out of the Melbourne line up after being managed by resting last week), Trengove with 28 touches and the prolific Michie (33 possessions) while Colin Garland, Mitch White and Oscar McDonald put their hands up to shore up the Demons' defence. Liam Hulett continued to show promise as a potential forward line partner for Jesse Hogan. Of the Casey listed players James Munro ran hard and collected 22 touches and Kody Wilson, though quiet for most of the afternoon, sparked the side with two vital third quarter goals. The team returns to Casey Fields for its first daytime home fixture next Sunday against the Northern Blues. Casey Scorpions 4.8.32 4.8.32 9.11.65 10.11.71 Essendon VFL 2.0.12 4.4.28 5.5.35 7.12.54 Goals Casey Scorpions Newton K Wilson 2 Garland Hulett Max King Michie Neal-Bullen Spencer Essendon VFL J Langford 2 Kommer McKernan McNiece J Merrett Thompson Best Casey Scorpions Michie Trengove Hulett Garland Spencer T Smith Essendon VFL Grima Coghlan Jamar Ambrose McNiece Redman Statistics Angus Brayshaw 3 disposals 1 kicks 2 handballs 2 tackles 15 dream team points [injured] Colin Garland 1 goal 18 disposals 14 kicks 4 handballs 4 marks 4 tackles 81 dream team points Jack Grimes 23 disposals 11 kicks 12 handballs 5 tackles 74 dream team points Liam Hulett 1 goal 1 behind 15 disposals 13 kicks 2 handballs 7 marks 71 dream team points Max King 1 goal 2 behinds 13 disposals 6 kicks 7 handballs 3 marks 3 tackles 8 hit outs 63 dream team points Oscar McDonald 1 behind disposals 10 kicks 9 handballs 6 marks 1 tackles 71 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal 1 behind 33 disposals 19 kicks 14 handballs 4 marks 99 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 1 goal 1 behind 19 disposals 7 kicks 12 handballs 3 marks 5 tackles 1 hit out 73 dream team points Ben Newton 2 goals 3 behinds 21 disposals 10 kicks 11 handballs 3 marks 7 tackles 105 dream team points Clayton Oliver 29 disposals 8 kicks 21 handballs 3 marks 16 tackles 1 hit out 131 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 goal 11 disposals 4 kicks 7 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 22 hit outs 75 dream team points Billy Stretch 1 behind disposals kicks handballs marks tackles 93 dream team points Dean Terlich 19 disposals 12 kicks 7 handballs 4 marks 1 tackle 66 dream team points Jack Trengove 28 disposals 8 kicks 20 handballs 3 marks 9 tackles 108 dream team points Mitch White 22 disposals 11 kicks 11 handballs 3 marks 7 tackles 92 dream team points Matt Jones did not play The Casey Development League team had a bye.

It was a long, long time ago ... MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta HB: Christian Salem, Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe C: Heritier Lumumba, Daniel Cross, Ben Newton HF: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Jimmy Toumpas F: Jeff Garlett, Sam Frost, Jack Watts FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Jack Viney, Angus Brayshaw, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Aaron vandenBerg EMG: Max Gawn, Jack Grimes, Matt Jones NEW: Angus Brayshaw, Sam Frost, Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Heritier Lumumba, Ben Newton, Aaron vandenBerg GOLD COAST SUNS B: Jarrod B: Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Kade Kolodjashnij HB: Trent McKenzie, Steven May, Nick Malceski C: Jack Martin, Dion Prestia, Alex Sexton HF: Michael Rischitelli, Sam Day, Matt Shaw F: Harley Bennell, Daniel Gorringe, Touk Miller FOLL: Zac Smith, Gary Ablett, David Swallow I/C: Mitch Hallahan, Jarrod Garlett, Adam Saad, Greg Broughton EMG: Tom Nicholls, Brandon Matera, Seb Tape NEW: Jarrod Garlett, Mitch Hallahan, Nick Malceski, Touk Miller, Adam Saad

Jesse Hogan might have taken the chocolates but Jack Viney is streaking further ahead ... Progressive 77 Jack Viney 40 Max Gawn 37 Nathan Jones 36 Bernie Vince Jack Watts 34 Ben Kennedy 23 Dom Tyson 19 Jesse Hogan 15 Jeff Garlett Tom McDonald 10 Heritier Lumumba 9 Clayton Oliver Josh Wagner 6 Cam Pedersen 4 Neville Jetta Dean Kent 3 Tom Bugg Matt Jones

Turn up to Etihad we were told. It’s our home away from home ... Our home away from home! And, yes the fans did exactly that ... 27K at a home game at Etihad. Unheard of. Buy your memberships. Let’s break the record ... 37,500 Members ... Unheard of. The players and coaches turning up to match the enthusiasm exhibited by the fans ... Unheard of. Once again the opportunity to truly cement the future of the club, in both the short and the long term was thrown away by a half interested team and a simply incompetent coaching group. The excuse of a six day break will be trotted out, tired players etc. But if that was the case, then the solitary change from the winning side of last week was simply inadequate. Eleven of players who took to the field had less than 15 touches for the game. If the management of the workloads of the playing group was truly being carried out, then the tired and lethargic performance against the Saints would simply not have happened. Worse was that the players in this group included Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett, Dean Kent, Heritier Lumumba, Neville Jetta and Sam Frost. These are not the young inclusions in the side but supposedly hardened experienced players. And we had a wealth of available inclusions to fill at least some of those spots. Then to cap it off the coaching group persisted with the simply ludicrous zone defence system. Riewoldt, Bruce and Membery had a field day with uncontested marks and more of the same inside our defensive 50m zone. To play a zone defence, you need players who can switch at the drop of a hat from one opponent to another. With legs which looked like lead weights we saw time and time again defenders simply not on their man or not getting to the contest. OK so it didn’t work, but when it isn’t working then you change something. Like going man-on-man. No that wasn’t done. So why not put an extra man in defence. No that wasn’t done either until the third quarter when St.Kilda piled on eight goals! And then it was poor Jayden Hunt who got dropped back instead of one of our talls. So we saw Reiwoldt marking against Jetta, Bruce over Hunt, Membery over no one at all! Inside their 50, not one St.Kilda mark for the whole game was contested! That single quarter simply blew the game away but the alarm bells should have been ringing long before that as the Saints had piled on six goals in the second as well with us persisting with the zone. There were a few shining lights for the Demons. Jesse Hogan overcame his yips from last week and nailed 7 goals. Without his efforts the result would have been horrible. Eight marks, five of which were contested gave the team a genuine target up forward. Big Max managed 38 hitouts but he too wasn’t able to reach the standards that he set last week. Hickey and the St.Kilda mids simply negated everything that he worked at achieving. Jack Viney continued his fine form with another 30 disposals and was abley assisted by Nathan Jones with 31. Trouble was the next best mids in Tyson and Vince could only manage numbers in the low 20’s. Once again the fans were cheated. Once again they put in, and saw hope and aspiration simply squandered with incompetence. It simply isn’t good enough and now any hope of exceeding the 40K target for membership has been lost. Do you think any self-respecting fan will turn up to watch the rematch against the Saints at Etihad in July? No, the chance has been blown, well and truly. Melbourne 5.3.33 8.3.51 11.5.71 15.6.96 St Kilda 3.4.22 9.9.63 17.11.113 20.15.135 Goals Melbourne Hogan 7 Frost Watts 2 Bugg Jones, Kent Tyson St Kilda Membrey 5 Bruce Riewoldt 3 Acres Sinclair 2 Armitage Dunstan Gresham Newnes Weller Best Melbourne Hogan, Viney, Jones, Vince St Kilda Riewoldt Acres Steven Membrey Sinclair Armitage Changes Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Injuries Melbourne Harmes (corked thigh) Salem (concussion) St Kilda Ross (shoulder) Webster (thumb) Reports Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Umpires Brown, Meredith, Findlay Official crowd 27,260 at Etihad Stadium

THE GREAT FAN FRAUD by George on the Outer Turn up to Etihad we were told. It’s our home away from home ... Our home away from home! And, yes the fans did exactly that ... 27K at a home game at Etihad. Unheard of. Buy your memberships. Let’s break the record ... 37,500 Members ... Unheard of. The players and coaches turning up to match the enthusiasm exhibited by the fans ... Unheard of. Once again the opportunity to truly cement the future of the club, in both the short and the long term was thrown away by a half interested team and a simply incompetent coaching group. The excuse of a six day break will be trotted out, tired players etc. But if that was the case, then the solitary change from the winning side of last week was simply inadequate. Eleven of players who took to the field had less than 15 touches for the game. If the management of the workloads of the playing group was truly being carried out, then the tired and lethargic performance against the Saints would simply not have happened. Worse was that the players in this group included Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett, Dean Kent, Heritier Lumumba, Neville Jetta and Sam Frost. These are not the young inclusions in the side but supposedly hardened experienced players. And we had a wealth of available inclusions to fill at least some of those spots. Then to cap it off the coaching group persisted with the simply ludicrous zone defence system. Riewoldt, Bruce and Membery had a field day with uncontested marks and more of the same inside our defensive 50m zone. To play a zone defence, you need players who can switch at the drop of a hat from one opponent to another. With legs which looked like lead weights we saw time and time again defenders simply not on their man or not getting to the contest. OK so it didn’t work, but when it isn’t working then you change something. Like going man-on-man. No that wasn’t done. So why not put an extra man in defence. No that wasn’t done either until the third quarter when St.Kilda piled on eight goals! And then it was poor Jayden Hunt who got dropped back instead of one of our talls. So we saw Reiwoldt marking against Jetta, Bruce over Hunt, Membery over no one at all! Inside their 50, not one St.Kilda mark for the whole game was contested! That single quarter simply blew the game away but the alarm bells should have been ringing long before that as the Saints had piled on six goals in the second as well with us persisting with the zone. There were a few shining lights for the Demons. Jesse Hogan overcame his yips from last week and nailed 7 goals. Without his efforts the result would have been horrible. Eight marks, five of which were contested gave the team a genuine target up forward. Big Max managed 38 hitouts but he too wasn’t able to reach the standards that he set last week. Hickey and the St.Kilda mids simply negated everything that he worked at achieving. Jack Viney continued his fine form with another 30 disposals and was abley assisted by Nathan Jones with 31. Trouble was the next best mids in Tyson and Vince could only manage numbers in the low 20’s. Once again the fans were cheated. Once again they put in, and saw hope and aspiration simply squandered with incompetence. It simply isn’t good enough and now any hope of exceeding the 40K target for membership has been lost. Do you think any self-respecting fan will turn up to watch the rematch against the Saints at Etihad in July? No, the chance has been blown, well and truly. Melbourne 5.3.33 8.3.51 11.5.71 15.6.96 St Kilda 3.4.22 9.9.63 17.11.113 20.15.135 Goals Melbourne Hogan 7 Frost Watts 2 Bugg Jones, Kent Tyson St Kilda Membrey 5 Bruce Riewoldt 3 Acres Sinclair 2 Armitage Dunstan Gresham Newnes Weller Best Melbourne Hogan, Viney, Jones, Vince St Kilda Riewoldt Acres Steven Membrey Sinclair Armitage Changes Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Injuries Melbourne Harmes (corked thigh) Salem (concussion) St Kilda Ross (shoulder) Webster (thumb) Reports Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Umpires Brown, Meredith, Findlay Official crowd 27,260 at Etihad Stadium

Just getting ahead of myself ?

Did we get ahead of ourselves?

Cast your votes if you can ...

I'd rather see Pearl Jam play at the Tennis Centre.

Mick Malthouse thinks Rance should have gotten off because he's a nice guy. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/mick-malthouse-says-alex-rance-should-have-been-cleared-for-his-hit-on-jack-watts/news-story/12d1a48d8c9243cb15015434fa9728e2

No way Garlett would get in with AFL/McAvaney lovechilds Puopolo and Rioli in there.